Rotary scraper



Dec. 18, 1934. J, H, WLLER 1,985,188

ROTARY SCRAPER Filed July 24, 1955 s sheets-sheet 1 JZ z -HM ZZen|NVENTOR ATTORNEY J. H. MILLER ROTARY SCRAPER Dec. 18, 1934.

Filed July 24, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY J, H. MILLER ROTARY SCRAPER Dec. 18, 1934.

Filed July 24, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTO R N EY Patented Dec. 18, 1934' UNITED STATE s I PATENT OFFICE ROTARY SCRAP Julius H. Miller, Fallon, Nev. Application Jilly 24, 1933, Serial No. 682,022

ZClaima This invention relates to earth removing scrapers and has for its object the provision of a machine which may be drawn forward over a surface which is to be reduced to a level or smooth condition and which as it travels will take up a portion of the earth and transfer the same to a receptacle in which it will be carried to a place of deposit or use.

An object of the invention is to provide the receptacle and the earth scraping and transferring means in such form as to be compact so that unnecessary draft will be avoided and the machine be capable of use in narrow places. It is also an object of the invention to provide means whereby the receptacle will be held against rotation during travel of the machine but may be easily turned to discharge the load when the machine has reached the place of deposit or use.

Other objects of the invention will appearincidentally in the course of the following description and the invention resides in certain novel features which will be particularly defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a scraper embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 -of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view, partly in section and partly in end elevation, of the machine with the scraper in working position.

Figure 5 is a similar view with the scraper raised.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal section through one end of the machine.

Figure 7 is a detail.

The frame 1 of the machine will preferably be I constructed of angle bars having a generally rectangular form to pass around the rotating drum and the scraper carried thereby and having its side members converging forwardly in front of the drum or working elements to be supported upon a front truck 2 of any approved form which may be coupled to a tractor or connected to draft animals whereby the machine may be readily drawn over the ground which is to be worked. An axle 3 is carried by the frame 1 and has its ends .mounted in suitable bearings provided therefor upon the sides of the frame as will be understood. Between the sides of the frame a receptacle or drum 4 is secured upon the axle and this inner drum may be conveniently constructed of a sheet metal cylinder having its ends secured to rigid heads which in turn are secured to the axle by set screws or other devices. A segment is cut away from the cylinder so as to provide an opening 5 through which the dirt taken up by the machine may be deposited in the receptacle or may be discharged when it 'is to be delivered upon the ground, it being understood that in the position shown in Figure 4, the dirt willbe delivered through the opening into the drum. or receptacle and when the drum is in the position shown in Figure 5, the dirt will be discharged. Between one end of the drum 4 and the frame 1 the axle is provided with a non-circular enlargement 6 and slidably mounted upon this enlargement is a collar '7 having an annular groove 8 therein, as shown clearly in Figures 3 and 6. This collar is engaged by the lower forked end of a lever 9 which is mounted upon a suitable bracket 10 secured to and rising from the frame whereby, when the lever is rocked, the collar may be shifted towards either end of the'enlargement. The collar is provided upon its opposite faces with lug or clutch pins 11 which are adapted to engage sockets 12 provided therefor in a disc 13 which is secured to the adjacent end of an outer drum 14, said disc and drum being loosely mounted upon the axle 3 so as to be rotatable thereon. At the outer end of the enlargement 6 a disc 15, similar to the disc 13, is loosely mounted upon the axle and is provided with sockets adapted to receive some of the pins 11 on the collar '1 whereby the disc will be locked to the axle and cannot rotate independently thereof. The disc 15 is a locking or braking member which will hold the axle 3 against rotation or permit it to turn accordingly as said disc is or is not engaged by the pins 11 on the collar 7. The disc 15 is stationary at all times and is secured to a bracket 16 which in turn is rigidly secured upon the frame 1 of themachine.

The outer drum 14, which has been mentioned, fits around the inner drum or receptacle 4 and its end members have a greater diameter than the inner drum or receptacle so as to project beyond the same and receive annular members 1'! to and between which are secured buckets 18 which will take up the dirt raised by the scraper and deliver it into the receptacle. As shown most clearly in Figures 4 and 5, the buckets are V-shaped in cross section with their angles presented rearwardly whereby the recesses or hollow faces will caused to travel up the scraper so that they will j engage the loose earth resting on the scraper and carry it to the high part of the drum whence it will be deposited by gravity through the opening 5. While the buckets have been shown as having a V-shaped cross section, it will be understood that they may be of any other outline which will present a holding surface to the scraper as the machine is operated. The buckets are preferably of sheet metal and are secured at their ends to the annular members 17 which serve to reinforce the ends of the buckets and also reinforce the ends of the'outer drum.

The scraper 19 is an arcuate member extending from end to end of the machine within the frame 1 and it may be a plate of any approved material but will always have a knife or cutting edge at its forward lower side. The ends ofthe scraper 19 are secured to end plates 20 which may conveniently be of sheet metal extending up towards the axle and preferably of triangular form, as shown in Figure 2. To the apexes of these triangular end plates are secured hub castings 21 which reinforce the end plates and also encircle the axle 3 so that the scraper will be carried by the axle and may be pivotally moved thereon.

Upon reference to Figures 3 and 6, it will be noted that castings 21 are disposed between the frame and the stationary disc so that endwise movement of the scraper will be prevented. To the under or rear side of the scraper at about the center thereof is secured a bracket or lug 22 to which is attached one end of a link or suspending device 23, the upper end of which is attached to a lever 24 which is fulcrumed upon a bracket 25 secured upon the frame 1 whereby the scraper may be raised and lowered. The lever 24 is equipped with the usual latch 26 engaging the bracket 25 whereby it will be held in a set position. -It may be noted at this point that the lever 9 is also provided with a latch 27 adapted to engage notches in the collar 7 whereby said lever will be held in set position.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it is thought the operation and advantages of the device will be readily understood and appreciated. When the machine is not in use to take up dirt the scraper is raised, as shown in Figure 5, so that it will then clear the earth surface or will ride along the same without cutting thereinto but when dirt is to be taken up the scraper is lowered to the position shown in Figure 4, whereupon as the machine isdrawn over the ground the scraper will cut into the surface and remove the top layer therefrom. As the dirt accumulates upon the front or supporting face of the scraper it will be forced upwardly thereon so that it will be engaged by the buckets of the outer drum and it may be noted that although the scraper is hung upon the axle about which the drum rotates, the scraper is eccentric to the drum so that the upper portion of the scraper is nearer to the drum than the lower portion and consequently the dirt upon the scraper will be forced into the path of the buckets. The buckets which successively take up the dirt from the scraper will carry the dirt around to the high part of the machine at which point it will slide from the buckets and will collect in the inner drum or receptacle. While the dirt is being thus taken up and delivered to the receptacle the clutch collar 7 is shifted so that the pins thereon will engage the clutch or brake disc 15 and the axle will consequently be held against rotation so that the receptacle which is secured permanently to the axle will likewise be held stationary and in' position to receive dirt, the outer drum at this time rotating freely about the axle. The inner drum after being loaded in the heretofore described manner may be either dumped manually through the lever 9 or may be dumped by the forward motion of the device by clutching the inner and outer drums together. It is to be understood that the clutch collar 7 may occupy a neutral position, that is, disengaged from either the clutch elements 13 or 15 and when in this position by swinging the lever 9 backward and forward at right angles to the shaft 3, the latter may be rotated to bring the inner drum from the position shown in Figure 4 to that shown in Figure 5 so that the contents of the inner drum may gravitate therefrom or to the surface of the ground, the teeth on the clutch collar and the latches 27 providing the necessary ratchet mechanism between the lever 9 and the clutch collar. To retain the shaft 3 and inner drum against rotation, the clutch collar 7 is engaged with the holding or looking clutch element 15. This is accomplished by swinging the lever 9 in one direction, that is, parallel with the shaft 3 and with the bracket 10 acting as afulcrum for the lever. The lever, as shown in the drawings, is composed of pivotally connected sections. To dump the inner drum by the rotation of the outer drum, the lever 9 is moved in an opposite direction from the direction last mentioned to engage the clutch collar '1 with the clutch element 13. If it be desired to reduce the discharged load to a level condition, the scraper may be lowered to the position shown in Figure 4 and the machine then again drawn forward, the clutch collar 7 being disengaged from the disc 13 so as to permit rotation of the outer drum and avoid excessive wear upon said member. It will be noted that the lever 9 is formed of two members connected by a hinge joint or pivot, shown at 28, whereby the lever may be rockedin a plane parallel with the end of the drum or in a plane at an angle thereto and when it is rocked in a plane parallel with the end of the drum, the latch 2'7 will cause the clutch collar to move with the lever.

A machine constructed in accordance with my invention is very compact and may be built and operated at a low cost. The dirt is transferred to the receptacle automatically as it is taken up and is firmly held against discharge until the machine has been drawn to the place of deposit.

.It is to be understood that while I have illustrated one form of the invention the drawings are not restrictive and various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the same as defined in the following claims. The drawings show a single unit but the machine may comprise a plurality of drums and scrapers arranged end to end so that it may be used in wider spaces than would otherwise be the case and the several units may be connected by universal joints so that they may follow irregularities in the surface of the ground as may be highly desirable in some instances.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A machine for the purpose set forth comprising a portable frame, an axle mounted on said frame, a cylindrical receptacle secured to the axle and having an opening in one side thereof, a rotatable drum mounted loosely on the axle outside of the receptacle and concentric therewith,

buckets on the drum adapted to take up dirt and deliver it through the opening into the receptacle, a scraper hung on the axle and disposed concentric to the drum whereby the rotating drum will take dirt from the scraper, a clutch collar splined to the axle, a clutch disc secured to the end of the drum to be engaged and disengaged by the clutch collar, a second clutch disc fixed to the frame to be engaged and disengaged by the clutch collar, and manually operated means for shifting the clutch collar longitudinal- 13! of the axle to connect and disconnect the receptacle from the drum and for holding said receptacle against rotation and for rotating the receptacle manually. I

2. A machine for the purpose set forth comprising a portable frame, an axle mounted on said frame, a cylindrical receptacle secured to the axle and having an opening in one side thereof, a rotatable drum mounted loosely on the axle outside of the receptacle and concentric therewith, buckets on the drum adapted to take up dirt and deliver it through the opening into the receptacle, a scraper hung on the axle and disposed concentric to the drum whereby the rotating drum will take dirt from the scraper, a clutch collar splined to the axle, a clutch disc secured to the end of the drum to be engaged and disengaged by the clutch collar, a second clutch disc fixed to the frame to be engaged and disengaged by the clutch collar, a lever rotatably connected to the clutch collar and including plvotally connected sections, a ratchet mechanism between one of the sections and the clutch collar, a bracket carried by the frame and having a slot to receive the lever whereby the latter may be swung in opposite directions to rotate the receptacle manually, said bracket forming a fulcrum for the lever to permit swinging of the latter in opposite directions and at right angles to the first-named direction for connecting and disconnecting the receptacle and the drum and for maintaining the 20 receptacle locked against rotation.

JULIUS H. MILLER. 

